Sakamoto Mio
Sakamoto Mio (坂本美緒?) She is based on Sakai Saburo. Background The sub-commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, with the commissioned rank of Squadron Leader. Mio is also the oldest witch in the 501st at nineteen (later, twenty) years old and, like Yoshika, comes from Fuso. She is seemingly the toughest and most mature of the Witches, being an experienced veteran of the early fighting against the Neuroi. She knew Yoshika's father while he was first designing his improved Striker Unit (the first model to not require an backpack-engine), and was the first person to pilot one. Her usual task is to train new recruits, and in this role she becomes a very strict disciplinarian, appropriately having a Doberman as familiar. Otherwise she is quite friendly, if a little too forward at times, with a very distinct laugh. Under Mio's eyepatch is a magic eye (魔眼 Magan) that enables her to see extreme distances along her line of sight. She can easily locate and identify objects at distances of several kilometers, and also has the ability to locate a Neuroi’s core by merely looking at it. While many other witches are known to have magic eyes, Mio's is the only one known to be capable of seeing a Neuroi's core through its armor. However, it comes with the drawback of being difficult to control, necessitating the use of her eyepatch to cover it when it's not in use. The eye was once seen to lose its magic when Mio is severely injured, but it returned to normal after some time had passed. Being 19/20 years old, Mio's magical power has declined too far for her to erect effective shields in combat, however she can still fly and use her magical eye. At the beginning of Season 2 she finds a way around this problem by flying the more maneuverable Violet Lightning Striker Unit and by forging the magical blade Reppumaru, which is capable of slicing through Neuroi beams. This extended her ability to engage in front-line combat, but Reppumaru drained her magic at a high rate and ultimately caused her difficulty in even flying. Throughout Season 2, Mio worked on mastering the sword technique "Reppuzan," which would be capable of cutting through any enemy. At her best, Mio was able to use it to destroy a large-type Neuroi in one attack, but her magic was soon drained past the point where she could use it anymore. By the end of Season 2, Mio was unable to even scratch a Neuroi with Reppumaru. She managed to still remain useful, though, as she was able to use her remaining magic power to charge the main cannon of the Neuroified Yamato, resulting in the destruction of the Neuroi Super-Hive's outer shell. The core was not destroyed, however, and Mio was partially absorbed by it and used to generate shields. Mio was eventually freed when Yoshika recovered Reppumaru and destroyed the core with a successful Reppuzan. Although this action resulted in Yoshika losing her magical abilities, and Mio had likely also lost most of her power in charging the Yamato's cannon, the two witches came to peace with the fact that they could no longer fight as they were caught and carried home by their wingmates. In Strike Witches: Tenku no Otome-tachi, Mio appears to dislike snakes as she being frighten by a snake until fainted while stranded on island. Strike Witches "What-if" — 1947 thumb|left|100px Group Captain Wilcke has a surprising guest late at night in her office: naval officer residing in Fuso Empire, Wing Commander Sakamoto This shouldn't be considered entirely canonical, because it was only tweeted by Fumikane. Armament The modifications to her Type 99 consist of rechambering it to 13mm to increase accuracy. She also carries a Katana and often handles a Shinai while shes trains rookies. Appearances Anime *Season 1 *Season 2 *Strike Witches Movie (trailer) Audio Media *Himegoe Voice Albums *Hime Uta Song Albums *Himebana Drama Albums *Himeroku Drama Albums *Strike Witches Gakuen *Himegoe CD 2 Voice Albums Light Novels * Strike Witches Otome no Maki * Strike Witches 2 * Ichimen no Ao * Ōgon'iro no Sūpu * 500overs in Africa Manga *Tenkū no Otome-tachi *Kimi to Tsunagaru Sora *The Shape of Our Bond *Strike Witches Zero:1937 Fuso Sea Incident Video Games *' All of them!' Mio's Comments on Other Characters On Minna : "Wing Commander Minna is the cornerstone of the Witch unit. The care she shows to her Captains, and the attributes necessary for a Commander... she has everything that a unit leader needs. On top of that, she is an excellent soldier in an air battle. She can be a bit soft on the new recruits, but I suppose that's where I come in. *laugh*" On Lynne : "She's a kind girl who finds no joy in fighting, but she joined up recently to protect her homeland when she wanted to be of use to everyone. I'll have to do everything I can to help her become a full-fledged witch as a response to that spirit, I suppose. She has the makings to become a good Commander, with her ability to keep an eye on the whole situation from the rear." On Yoshika : "Her latent ability is impressive indeed. Not only with regards to her magic, but she also has perseverance and determination. It's my mission and duty to guide her on her path to becoming a full-fledged Witch, for the sake of my, no, the world's benefactor, Dr. Miyafuji." On Perrine : "She's of great help to me, helping out with training the rookies, among other things. She used to often be paired with me in a rotte during combat, but she'll be able to handle herself fine without me soon. She can be a bit harsh with Miyafuji, but that's probably because she worries about her. She's a good person. I don't really know why she always speaks so awkwardly around me though..." On Lucchini : "Ugh, she's an unbelievable little devil. She doesn't follow the rules, and always does as she pleases. However, it is true that Lucchini is a big part of the reason why everyone doesn't lose heart. Somehow, you just can't hate her. She's good friends with Shirley, and their abilities are a good match for each other in a rotte, so those two make a fine pair." On Shirley : "I suppose in Fuso we'd call her a true-born child of Edo? I enjoy straight-forward people like that. With regards to Striker outfitting, she's got the abilities to match any mechanic, so she's almost like a poster girl for Liberion, the undisputed king of the automobile. Strangely enough, she gets along very well with Lucchini." On Barkhorn : "I have nothing to criticize regarding her skills as a soldier, but I think she has a tendency to be too hard on herself as well as on others. Considering the current state of Karlsland, it might not be strange, but she really should try to rely a little more her comrades in arms. Oh well, I guess the way she judges herself the hardest is one of her good properties. When it comes to her skills in the air, she's one of the greatest aces together with Hartmann." On Hartmann : "Flying Officer Hartmann is our unit's ultra ace, and we're very proud of her. She always shows consideration towards you when you fly with her, and you can feel safe when you have her protecting your back. Well, I would like her to change her attitude when it comes to life outside the military, but I guess that's asking for too much. Seems like she's competing with Barkhorn for the most aerial victories. It will be interesting to see how far she can go." On Sanya : "It is thanks to Sanya we can all lay down and rest safely during the nights. My magical eye isn't too bad either, but when it comes to seeing far during the night, I don't think anything is better than Sanya's ability. However, it kind of worries me she's so shy and passive. I think it would be good for her to become a little more confident." On Eila : "Hm... She's a strange girl. It's almost as if she's living in another world. I never have any idea of what she's thinking. But she's great all-around in battle, and her ability to never get hit is admirable. She's been paired up with Sanya a lot lately, so she's gotten a lot of experience of fighting during the night, but she always does fine during the day too." Mio in The Legendary Witches '' Mio's crotch1.jpg|Mio clearly enjoys aerial combat, hence her stubborn refusal to retire.|link=Season 02 Episode 02, "The Legendary Witches" mio's crotch0.jpg|Mio attempts to destroy a Neuroi|link=Season 02 Episode 02, "The Legendary Witches" Mio gets carried.jpg|Mio after her freefall dive headlong into a Neuroi.|link=Season 02 Episode 02, "The Legendary Witches" Mio's crotch.jpg|The Neuroi having regenerated, Mio goes in for the kill once again. This time she remembered to wear her strikers.|link=Season 02 Episode 02, "The Legendary Witches" '' : References Category:Strike Witch Category:501st Joint Fighter Wing Category:Squadron Leaders Category:Strike Witches IF